Visual Keyboard Shortcut Editor

You can work visually when you lay out your keyboard shortcuts with the visual keyboard shortcut editor. You can use the keyboard user interface to view the keys that have been assigned shortcuts, available keys for assignment, and modify assigned shortcuts.

Work with Visual Keyboard Shortcut Editor

To open the editor, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+').

The editor is divided into three parts:

Keyboard shortcut UI

Keyboard layout: A representation of the hardware keyboard where you can view which keys have been assigned a shortcut, and which are available.

Command list: The list displays all the commands that can be assigned shortcuts.

Key modifier list: The list displays all the modifier combinations and assigned shortcuts associated with the key you select on the keyboard layout.

Color coding

Gray: In the keyboard layout, keys shaded gray do not have any shortcuts assigned to them.

Application Shortcuts

The keyboard layout displays application-wide shortcuts by default. These shortcuts work irrespective of which panel is selected. The Command list displays the entire set of commands available. When you select a key in the keyboard layout for application-wide commands, the key is outlined with a blue focus indicator. The Command list displays the Application command assigned to it. The Key modifier list inspects and it displays a list of all the commands assigned to the key and each of the possible modifier combinations.

Panel shortcuts

You can switch to panel-specific view from the Command drop-down list. The keyboard layout only displays keys shaded green. These shortcuts only work when the specific panel is active. When you view a set of Panel shortcuts, only the commands specific to that panel are displayed.

Panel shortcuts

Assigning shortcuts

You can assign shortcuts to commands in the Command list shortcut column. Select the command and type the shortcut in the text field. You can search for commands in the Command List, which is filtered by the search criteria. You can also assign shortcuts by clicking in the shortcut column and tapping keys on their keyboard to create the shortcut (including adding modifiers).

You can also assign shortcuts by dragging a command from the Command list onto a key in the keyboard layout or to the Key modifier list. You can drag keys in the keyboard layout onto a command in the Command List to assign them to the command. When a Panel shortcut has the same assigned shortcut as an Application shortcut, the application-wide shortcut does not function when that panel is active.

When After Effects detects a non-supported keyboard, the default view is to display the U.S. English keyboard. By default, the After Effects Default preset is displayed.

Exceptions

After Effects does not allow you to reassign the following keys:

A

AA

E

EE

F

FF

L

LL

M,

MM

P

PP

R

RR

S

SS

T

TT

U

UU

Key tool tips

Long commands assigned to keys are abbreviated. Hover over a key to view a tool tip containing the full name of the command, and information whether it is an Application or Panel shortcut.

Conflicts and resolutions

Conflicts

A warning indicating a shortcut conflict appears when:

An Application shortcut already in use by another Application shortcut.

A Panel shortcut is already in use by another command in the same panel.

A Panel shortcut overrides an Application shortcut when that panel has focus.

Resolution

When you type a shortcut that is already in use with another command, a warning message is displayed at the bottom of the editor.

Undo and Clear buttons in the lower right corner are enabled.

The command in conflict is highlighted in blue, and clicking this automatically selects the command in the Command List.

Saving custom keyboard shortcut sets

You can modify the shortcuts and save them using the Save As button.

General

Result

Windows

Mac OS

Select all

Ctrl+A

Command+A

Deselect all

F2 or Ctrl+Shift+A

F2 or Command+Shift+A

Rename selected layer, composition, folder, effect, group, or mask

Enter on main keyboard

Return

Open selected layer, composition, or footage item

Enter on numeric keypad

Enter on numeric keypad

Move selected layers, masks, effects, or render items down (back) or up (forward) in stacking order

Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow or Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow

Command+Option+Down Arrow or Command+Option+Up Arrow

Move selected layers, masks, effects, or render items to bottom (back) or top (front) of stacking order

Display filename corresponding to the frame at the current time in the Info panel

Ctrl+Alt+E

Command+Option+E

Projects

Result

Windows

Mac OS

New project

Ctrl+Alt+N

Command+Option+N

Open project

Ctrl+O

Command+O

Open most recent project

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P

Command+Option+Shift+P

New folder in Project panel

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+N

Command+Option+Shift+N

Open Project Settings dialog box

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K

Command+Option+Shift+K

Find in Project panel

Ctrl+F

Command+F

Cycle through color bit depths for project

Alt-click bit-depth button at bottom of
Project panel

Option-click bit-depth button at bottom
of Project panel

Open Project Settings dialog box

Click bit-depth button at bottom of Project
panel

Click bit-depth button at bottom of Project
panel

Preferences

Result

Windows

Mac OS

Open Preferences dialog box

Ctrl+Alt+; (semicolon)

Command+Option+; (semicolon)

Restore default preferences settings

Hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift while starting
After Effects

Hold down Command+Option+Shift while starting
After Effects

Panels, viewers, workspaces, and windows

Megjegyzés:

(Mac OS) Shortcuts involving function keys F9-F12 may
conflict with shortcuts used by the operating system. See Mac OS
Help for instructions to reassign Dashboard & Expose shortcuts.

Result

Windows

Mac OS

Open or close Project panel

Ctrl+0

Command+0

Open or close Render Queue panel

Ctrl+Alt+0

Command+Option+0

Open or close Tools panel

Ctrl+1

Command+1

Open or close Info panel

Ctrl+2

Command+2

Open or close Preview panel

Ctrl+3

Command+3

Open or close Audio panel

Ctrl+4

Command+4

Open or close Effects & Presets panel

Ctrl+5

Command+5

Open or close Character panel

Ctrl+6

Command+6

Open or close Paragraph panel

Ctrl+7

Command+7

Open or close Paint panel

Ctrl+8

Command+8

Open or close Brushes panel

Ctrl+9

Command+9

Open or close Effect Controls panel for selected layer

F3 or Ctrl+Shift+T

F3 or Command+Shift+T

Open Flowchart panel for project flowchart

Ctrl+F11

Command+F11

Switch to workspace

Shift+F10, Shift+F11, or Shift+F12

Shift+F10, Shift+F11, or Shift+F12

Close active viewer or panel (closes content first)

Ctrl+W

Command+W

Close active panel or all viewers of type of active viewer (closes content first). For example, if a Timeline panel is active, this command closes all Timeline panels.

Ctrl+Shift+W

Command+Shift+W

Split the frame containing the active viewer and create a viewer with opposite locked/unlocked state

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+N

Command+Option+Shift+N

Maximize or restore panel under pointer

` (accent grave)

` (accent grave)

Resize application window or floating window to fit screen. (Press again to resize window so that contents fill the screen.)

Ctrl+\ (backslash)

Command+\ (backslash)

Move application window or floating window to main monitor; resize window to fit screen. (Press again to resize window so that contents fill the screen.)

Ctrl+Alt+\ (backslash)

Command+Option+\ (backslash)

Toggle activation between Composition panel and Timeline panel for current composition

\ (backslash)

\ (backslash)

Cycle to previous or next item in active viewer (for example, cycle through open compositions)

Shift+, (comma) or Shift+. (period)

Shift+, (comma) or Shift+. (period)

Cycle to previous or next panel in active frame (for example, cycle through open Timeline panels)

Alt+Shift+, (comma) or Alt+Shift+. (period)

Option+Shift+, (comma) or Option+Shift+. (period)

Activate a view in a multi-view layout in the Composition panel without affecting layer selection

Click with middle mouse button

Click with middle mouse button

Activate tools

Megjegyzés:

You can activate some tools only under certain circumstances.
For example, you can activate a camera tool only when the active
composition contains a camera layer.

Megjegyzés:

To momentarily activate a tool with a single-letter
keyboard shortcut, hold down the key; release the key to return
to the previously active tool. To activate a tool and keep it active,
press the key and immediately release it.

On Mac OS, some keyboard commands used to interact with the operating system conflict with keyboard commands for interacting with After Effects. Select Use System Shortcut Keys in the General preferences to override the After Effects keyboard command sometimes in which there’s a conflict with the Mac OS keyboard command.

Keyboard shortcuts graphic

Click the link below to download a PDF of about 50 of the more commonly used and pouplar keyboard shortcuts.